> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abbyy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Derived skills in Advanced Designer

> Create derived skills in Advanced Designer that inherit fields and rules from a base skill while preserving updates and customizations.

Vantage built-in skills and read-only skills published by third-party developers cannot be edited directly. To work around this, derive a new skill from a built-in or read-only skill and edit the derived skill instead.

Derived skills inherit all the rules and fields from their base skill. They can also be updated to the latest base-skill version while preserving every change you've made.

<Note>
  You can derive skills from any other skill too, including ones you have created yourself.
</Note>

## Vantage vs. Advanced Designer for derived skills

You can create derived skills in either Vantage or Advanced Designer. Use Advanced Designer for advanced customization — such as adding new activities for processing specific documents. If you've made significant changes to a derived skill's document processing flow, continue editing it in Advanced Designer.

## Related topics

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Create a derived skill" icon="code-branch" href="/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/document-skills/derived-create">
    Steps to create and configure a new derived skill.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configure a derived skill" icon="sliders" href="/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/document-skills/derived-configure">
    Customize fields, rules, and text recognition.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Update a derived skill" icon="rotate" href="/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/document-skills/derived-update">
    Update to a new base-skill version.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
